Relationships are what drives our success, we balance profit and purpose and use our efforts to enable our partners to do good. On each of our projects, we recommend our consultants and professional teams commit to impactful initiatives, from work experience and apprenticeships, to supporting SMEs with pro–bono advice.
Earlier this year, in partnership with Barings, we supported the architects working on our Soapworks Bristol project, Chapman Taylor, to take their tutoring and mentoring opportunities even further.
Nick Thursby, Director at Chapman Taylor explains how working with Socius is helping to ensure that its important social value journey continues to progress.
“In 2022, Chapman Taylor’s Bristol studio was selected by Socius and investor, Barings to develop the architectural design of Soapworks, a significantly important mixed-use project in Bristol.
It was evident from the beginning that our companies approach to social value aligned, through a shared commitment to invest and support in the communities in which we work. As a global practice of award-winning architects, masterplanners and interior designers, Chapman Taylor has 15 studios around the world but everyone is embedded in the neighbourhood in which it sits.
Chapman Taylor has been working in the South-West for nearly 30 years and our Bristol Studio is a major employer of Architectural Graduates from the University of the West of England and Bath University. We are actively involved with Architectural Tutoring, mentoring and the Architectural Apprenticeship Scheme, but Socius encouraged us to go further.
As such, we have recently been involved in the Babbasa mentoring scheme, a Bristol programme to support young people in ethnically diverse inner-city communities, in terms of providing advice, guidance, and assistance in finding employment. This has led to members of our team attending focused Club Mentoring evenings to offer advice on cover letters, CVs or getting into an industry, as well as networking with other Equal Opportunity Ambassadors in a range of industries.
Socius and Barings have been actively involved in supporting the local community in Bristol, and recently they invited members of the Soapworks Consultant Team to participate in the Hannah More Primary School Careers Fair.
Representatives from Chapman Taylor’s Bristol Studio, brought along sketches, models, and an animation of Chapman Taylor’s award-winning Castle Park View project. These visual aids helped explain the role of an architect to the students attending the fair. The goal was to promote architecture as a potential career choice that many of the Hannah More pupils may not have been aware of. The children at the event showed great enthusiasm and posed a delightful range of questions, exploring the fascinating world of architecture. They inquired about the various responsibility’s architects undertake and the subjects required to pursue a career in architecture.
We have many more important activities planned and working alongside Socius and Barings, with their dedication and commitment to social value, we will ensure our significant journey in this area continues.
Find out more about how Socius is delivering impact here
